19 Dec 10 Sidney Rice, Bernard Berrian and the Minnesota Vikings Quit on Brett Favre

Figure 1 Sidney Rice looked ashamed in Chicago after quitting on FavreMost Minnesota Vikings players deserve blame for giving up on the team during their 27-13 loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday, but primary blame belongs with the starting wide receivers for hurting team morale Reebok Minnesota Vikings #69 Jared Allen Realtree camo Jersey
by refusing to even play under suspicious circumstances overseen by unpopular head coach Brad Childress.In addition to providing poor play calling, Childress has allowed the starting wide receivers, Sidney Rice and Bernard Berrian, to leave quarterback Brett Favre with no capable wideouts for most of the season. Rice hasn’t played at all after procrastinating on hip surgery and Berrian appears to have more interest in beauty pageants than football.The Vikings’ Vice President of Player Personnel, Rick Spielman, tried to solve the problem by trading for All Pro wide receiver Randy Moss, the NFL’s best deep threat. But head coach Brad Childress unilaterally waived him after only four games because he complained publicly about the team’s poor play calling.Third wide receiver Percy Harvin has had a good year, even while enduring numerous health problems and disagreements with Childress over play-calling, but he and his backup Greg Camarillo are slot receivers and not true wide outs.The remaining wide receivers, Greg Lewis and Hank Baskett, are rejects from Childress’ former Philadelphia Eagles team and mainly special team players. Childress deserves blame for not acquiring any real backup depth at the flanker and split end wide out positions.Figure 2 Bernard Berrian looked to be having a good time in Las Vegas with friend, instead of Favre, during week 4 byeThis week, Childress finally reported that Rice was close to ready. Rice said he opened it up Thursday in practice but admitted Friday he was sore as was listed as questionable. Still, the Star Tribune’s Judd Zulgad and Chip Scoggins expected him to play against the Bears.Yet on Saturday, the Vikings did not place Rice on Reebok New England Patriots #12 Tom Brady Realtree camo Jersey
their 53-man roster. Childress said, "We went through yesterday morning to see how he came back from Friday's practice…we had our mock game yesterday morning and just talked to him. He didn't feel like he was able to go yet."Perhaps, considering the season was on the line, Childress could have done more than just talk, like try to convince him to play or have him get a medical diagnosis.At first it was reported Rice decided he was too “sore” to play. Many fans tried to tweet him on his twitter page because they couldn’t believe he would sit for just that. At game time, the Vikings claimed he was not in “game shape,”whatever that means.On Saturday, my tweet was the following: “Favre has 2 broken bones (in his ankle) and you can’t play because you were sore???” I got no response, even though I restrained myself by not even mentioning that the 41-year old Favre had tendinitis and other arm problems and had played in nearly 300 straight games.Childress has let Rice mismanage the injury all year. Rice didn’t even disclose the hip injury publicly until six months after it occurred in February. Then, he said he would be ready for training camp in late July and after that date fell through, he said he would be ready at the start of the season.Figure 3 Starting wide receivers Rice with Berrian and Harvin enjoying Favre struggle with their backups in ChicagoChildress claimed he didn’t even know about the severe injury until the summer. Childress should communicate more with his players since he likely could have drafted or signed a replacement, more to his liking than Moss, much earlier.After finally deciding he needed surgery in August, Rice said he would miss at least half the season. Yet, Vikings fans are still waiting after the tenth week.Now, if Rice is not activated within eight days by Wednesday of next week, he must miss the entire season. The injury and its severity should have been reported promptly and truthfully so Favre could have stayed in Mississippi, and fans and gamblers could have given up on the season.Berrian has claimed to be generally healthy even though it may be hard to believe that from his play. He didn’t suffer a groin injury until last Friday in practice. He was also listed as questionable going into the Bears game and was in uniform on Sunday.However, just before the game, he decided the groin problem wouldn't allow him to play. Favre said he Reebok New Orleans Saints #9 Drew Brees Realtree camo Jersey
thought Berrian tweaked the injury on the first catch in pregame but Berrian denied that. So just when did the injury become serious?Childress’ explanation provided more questions than answers. "He was set to go, we had him up and I knew it was bugging him a little bit…Whether it was the conditions or he got tight, cold, tweaked it again, I'm not exactly sure. He just said, 'I can't go.' "Figure 4 Childress is unable to motivate Vikings players to play hard or injuredFans needed a better answer than Childress provided. As fans complained on Berrian’s Twitter page, he became suspiciously defensive: "Don't ever question my heart or toughness…played plenty games injured. U just don't hear bout it. N warmup had nothin 2 do w/it."Questions about Berian’s effort started long before the Bears game. Earlier this season, KFAN’s Dan Barreiro said Berrian had turned to the celebrity life, including beauty pageants. Brad Childress even allowed Berrian to go to Las Vegas during their Week 4 bye after Favre asked him to stay and view tape.A friend of mine said he heard Berrian say that football is just a job. Favre, who gives it everything he has while injured, doesn’t deserve wide receivers with this kind of attitude and who sit out crucial division games while leaving their quarterback to take a beating. Moreover, if all the players felt the way Berrian apparently does, why should the fans care?Harvin, who was also listed as questionable for the Bears game, played despite a recurrence of migraines last week and ankle problems, but he re-injured his sprained left ankle during a fourth quarter kickoff return. By the end of the game Harvin could be seen laughing with Berrian, who was sitting next to Rice on the bench.It must have been real funny for the Vikings three main wide receivers to watch their ineffective backups provide little support to Shiancoe and running back Adrian Peterson as they dropped balls and fell down, the offensive line as it broke down leaving Favre open to hits, and the defense and special teams following the collapse of the offense.Figure 5 Zygi Wilf is blowing the Vikings season by not firing ChildressThe sight of the Vikings two starters and eventually all three main wide receivers on the bench was disconcerting to fans and likely discouraged team morale. Like Judd Zulgad and Chip Scoggins said after the Bears game, the Vikings are not going to cut it with Greg Camarillo, Greg Lewis and Hank Baskett as their wide receivers.Certainly, injuries are a gray area. Perhaps Rice and Berrian had a good excuse. Perhaps, they were still seriously injured. Or perhaps they didn’t want to take any chances or endure pain like Favre and Harvin do.But the Vikings won’tbuy their excuses. Spielman has refused to extend the contract of Rice because injuries have not allowed him to prove himself over a long enough time period. Berrian underperformed last year due to an apparent hamstring injury and is certainly gone after this year’s lack of performance.Although Childress has accepted blame for the team’s poor play, the ultimate responsibility rests with owner Zygi Wilf. He has continually refused opportunities to fire Childress and solve the team’s major problems: poor play at the wide receiver positions, poor team morale and predictable play-calling.According to the Star Tribune reporter Judd Zulgad’s article "Childress Powerful Because Structure is Shaky," Childress is powerful because Wilf has appointed no general manager.Moreover, the article said, after talking to several players last week about Childress, that Wilf left Childress in control and with full knowledge of which players had given Wilf unfavorable reports about him. Vikings players say they can't voice their feelings for fear of being waived like Moss.Wilf should have realized the seriousness of Reebok New York Giants #27 Brandon Jacobs Realtree camo Jersey
what the Vikings players were saying after they had to score 17 unanswered points with under four minutes remaining just to beat the lowly Cardinals at home. Every Vikings player asked if their rally was motivated by a desire to save Childress’ job answered that they did it “for each other.”This week they didn’t even appear to try to play for each other, especially the wide receivers Rice and Berrian.Yet Wilf is still not hearing the players after saying Childress’ job is safe.Wilf’s continued refusal to fire Childress likely cost the Vikings a loss against the bitter division rival Chicago Bears and now threatens an even more devastating loss at home to the hated Green Bay Packers.Barreiro said the coach must go if the players don’t want to play for him. Yet Zygi Wilf continues to allow Childress to stay even after he saw how the previously one-win Dallas Cowboys beat his hometown favorite New York Giants after firing their head coach.Fans will likely quit on the Vikings if Zygi Wilf won’t at least try to save the season by firing Childress immediately.